Water ski slalom course and method therefor

ABSTRACT

A water ski slalom is provided having guide buoys and turn buoys which utilizes a single anchor cable to which the guide buoys are affixed by an aluminum cross arm. The cross arm is maintained perpendicular to the anchor cable by a diamond-shaped cable arrangement. The turn buoys are affixed to the cross arm by weighted wooden beams.

United States Patent Suyderhoud 1 1 Apr. 22, 1975 WATER SKI SLALOMCOURSE AND METHOD THEREFOR [76] Inventor: Jaap Suyderhoud, PO. Box 2052,

Redding, Calif. 96001 [22] Filed: May 20, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 471,565

[52] [1.8. CI. 9/8 R; 114/235 WS; 272/1 B [51] Int. Cl B63b 21/52 [58]Field of Search..... 9/8 R; 114/235 WS; 272/32, 272/56.5 SS, 1 B

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.203.894 6/1940 Cooke 9/8 RENTRANCE GATES ll 3,826,494 7/l974 Wainwright et al. 272/1 B X Primaryliraminer-George E. A. Halvosa Attorney, Agent, or F [rm-Flehr, Hohbach,Test, Albritton & Herbert [57] ABSTRACT A water ski slalom is providedhaving guide buoys and turn buoys which utilizes a single anchor cableto which the guide buoys are affixed by an aluminum cross arm. The crossarm is maintained perpendicular to the anchor cable by a diamond-shapedcable arrangement. The turn buoys are affixed to the cross arm byweighted wooden beams.

14 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures TURN BUOY 6 LAKE BOTTOM P.-.TENTED 53,878,576 snmaq s TURN BUOY GUIDE BUOYS FHG. 3 23 28 STEEL CABLE l5 34ALUMINUM 'u' CLAMP .l

' as CABLE STOP WATER SKI SLALOM COURSE AND METHOD THEREFOR BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION The present invention to directed to a water ski slalomcourse.

Referring to FIG. 1. a standard water ski slalom course includes guidebuoy pairs 10 through which a towing power boat travels along acenterline towing the slalom skier. The skier enters the course throughthe entrance gate buoys ll. slaloms around the six turn buoys I-6 andthen exits through the end gate buoys 12. The path of the skier is shownby line 13. Since such course is used for competition purposes it isimportant that all the buoys accurately maintain their relativelocations with rcspect to each other and with respect to the centerlinealong which the towing line travels. Since the course is. of course.located on water it should be designed so that installation is simple.Once installed. the course should be relatively immune to small changesin water level. winds and currents. In addition. the course should beeasily submersible in its entircty so that it does not have to beremoved after each use.

One type of course used in the past was to anchor each of the buoysindividually. This was time consuming. difficult. especially in deepwater. and did not maintain accurate relative spacing between buoys.

Another type of course arrangement used several cables for each line ofguide buoys and turn buoys. Again this was a cumbersome arrangement andsuffered the same disadvantages as separate buoys.

The use of a single anchor cable has been attempted but was defective innot providing for accurate spacial relationships between the centerlineor anchor line of the course and the guide and turn buoys. In addition.it was cumbersome to install.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore. an object of thepresent invention to provide an improved water ski slalom course.

It is another object of the invention to provide a slalom course asabove which is simple to install.

It is another object of the invention to provide a slalom course wherethe guide and turn buoys are maintained in accurate spacial relationshipwith the centerline of the course.

It is another object of the invention to provide a slalom course whichis easily removed or submerged.

It is another object of the invention to provide a slalom course whichincludes guide buoys which are resistant to snagging by the tow rope.

It is another object of the invention to provide a slalom course whichhas simple installation.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method ofinstalling a water ski slalom course.

In accordance with the above objects there is provided a water skislalom course having turn buoys and guide buoy pairs fixed in apredetermined layout. The guide buoys lie along a centerline along whicha boat towing the water skier moves. The turn buoys serve as slalomgates for the skier. An anchor line extends along the centerline of thecourse and is fixed at both ends. A plurality of rigid cross arm meansspace the two buoys of each pair of guide buoys a sufficient distance toallow passage of the boat with each of the guide buoy pairs lying in apredetermined plane. A'plurality of means are provided for fixing theplanes perpendicular to the anchor line. A plurality of beam means eachhave one end rigidly affixed to the cross arm means and are colineartherewith. with the other end holding down one of the turn buoys. Thebeam means have a positive buoyancy and include negative buoyancyweights affixed to the beam means to submerge them in the water.

From a method standpoint there is provided a method ofinstalling a waterski slalom course having an anchor cable along the centerline of thecourse with guide buoy pairs affixed thereto and spaced from each otherby cross arms. Turn buoys are respectively attached to the guide buoysby buoyant beams. The method comprises the following steps. The guidebuoys are hung on the cross arms and the cross arms are attached to theanchor cable. The turn buoys are then attached to the beams. Two anchorsat the ends of the centerline of the course are provided. The cable istowed with the cross arms and guide buoys and attached to each end tothe anchors placing a high tension on the cable. The beams are towed andare respectively attached to the cross arms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENT The typical water ski slalom course which has been describedin connection with FIG. 1 has a portion thereof shown in greater detailin FIG. 2. The course is anchored. for example. to a lake bottom at onlythe two anchor points 14 and 16. Cable 15 lying along the centerline ofthe course is preferably of galvanized steel with a diameter of threethirty-seconds inch and has its ends attached to the anchors by 3% inchpolypropylene line 17. Depending on the water depth. more or lesspolypropylene line 17 must be used so that the maximum angle with thehorizontal is less than 20. This is to maintain the entrance and endgates 11, I2 at water level. Since the breaking strength of the cablecombination is 1200 pounds the cable should be anchored with a hightension in order to maintain the placement of the course.

Guide buoys I0 and gate buoys I I, 12 are fixed to the ends of rigidright cross arms 18. These are preferablyconstructed of L-shaped anglealuminum. The cross arms provide for accurate spacing of the guide buoysI0. The turn buoys are attached to one end of beams 19 with the otherend of the beams being rigidly affixed at points 21 to cross arms I8 andcolinear therewith. Beam l9'is preferably constructed of a buoyant woodsuch as 2 X 2 Douglas fir and therefore weighted down so that it ismaintained submerged 6 feet below the surface of the water by weights 22and 23. As will be explained below, the natural positive buoyancy ofbeam19 is an aid toward easy installation of the course.

Alternatively. beam 19 may be constructed of fiberglass which hasessentially a neutral buoyancy. Depending on the type of fiberglassused. no weight or minimum weights may be provided to submerge the beamalong with its associated buoys. In any case. beam 19 must be relativelyrigid in order to maintain the spacial location of the turn buoys withrespect to the cable 15, which lies along the centerline of the course.and to the guide buoys 10. For the same reason. the aluminum cross armmust be relatively rigid.

FIG. 3 illustrates the beam 19 and its coupling to alu minum cross arm18 and their relationship to the turn and guide buoys. As indicated. theentire structure is normally submerged 6 feet below the surface of thewater. Guide buoys 10 are of cylindrical construction so that the towcable does not snag on them while the skier is proceeding through thecourse. They are composed of solid foam. A typical length of thecylindrical buoys is 18 inches with the greater portion of the buoybeing submerged; for example 10 inches as compared to 8 inches which areexposed above the water level. This is believed to provide an optimumresistance to snagging.

The weights 22 and 23 are provided by 1 gallon jars filled withready-mix cement.

The normal positive buoyancy of beam 19 and the hanging of the weights22 and 23 near the ends of the beam produce a tendency of the beam tobend as shown by the dashed line 19' due to the buoyant effect of thewater indicated by the arrows 24. Since this occurs in a vertical plane.the location of the turn buoy in the same vertical plane as the guidebuoys 10 is maintained. Moreover. as will be discussed below. thisvertical plane is preferably maintained perpendicular to the centerlineof the course or anchor cable 15.

Because of the length of beam 19, it is normally constructed of twoseparate portions connected together with a relatively rigid splice 26.This may be provided with angle aluminum with a pair of steel clamps.Similarly. a relatively rigid coupling is provided at 27 between thealuminum angle arm 18 and beam 19 by a pair of stainless steel clamps.

As illustrated both in FIGS. 1, 2 and FIG. 4 in greater detail. meansare provided for coupling the anchor cable to the cross arms by adiamond-shaped cable arrangement. Specifically. fixed to anchor cable I5for each of the guide buoys 10 and the gates 11. 12 are short segments28. These are fastened to the continuous cable 15 by. for example, NICO(trademark) cable fasteners at points 29 and 31 as illustrated in FIG.2. Cable 15 and segment 18 are spread and symmetrically clamped to thecross arms to provide the diamond shaped arrangement.

FIG. 4 illustrates the detailed fastening of cable 15 and segment 28 toaluminum cross arm 18 at points 3] and 32. This is accomplished asillustrated in detail in FIG. 5 by a cable stop 33 which may be of aNICO (trademark) type through which the cable 15 runs and is fixedthereto. In turn cable stop 33 is fastened on top of the cross arm 18 byan aluminum U-clamp 34 and stainless steel nut and bolt combination 36.

The diamond-shaped arrangement where the arms of the diamond are ofequal length is believed to provide for superior stability of the guidebuoys and turn buoys in order to maintain the vertical plane in whichthese buoys lie perpendicular to the anchor cable or the center line ofthe course. However, alternatively the dia- 4 mond-shaped arrangementmight be replaced by a rigid arm which is welded or attached cross wilseto the cross arm 18 at its midpoint with the anchor cable affixed to theends.

The course illustrated in FIG. 2 may be easily installed by thefollowing steps.

While on shore. if the course is to be set up on a lake. for example.the guide buoys are first hung on the cross arms by nylon lines. Theselines would be approximately 6 feet in length. Next. the two portions ofthe wood beam 19 are spliced to one another and a turn buoy attached atone end of each beam.

The cross arms are then attached to the anchor cable which normally hasbeen precoiled leaving exposed the cable and short segments suitable forforming the diamond-shaped arrangements as discussed above.

Two anchors at the proper distances in the water where the course is tobe set out are placed. Thereafter. the cable with the cross arms andguide buoys attached thereto is towed to the course site and the ends ofthe cable attached to the anchors. Relatively high tension should beplaced on the cable by a trailing boat. The beams are also towed withthe turning buoys attached and they are attached to the respective crossarms. At this time the beams are properly weighted. The course is nowready for use.

If it is desired to temporarily discontinue the use of the course. theturn buoys may be disconnected and the anchor cable weighted to overcomethe buoyancy of the guide buoys to submerge the entire course. It isalso apparent that if any of the buoys accidently disconnect. thatportion of the course will submerge further thus preventing anynavigational hazards.

In summary, the present invention has provided an improved slalom coursefor water skiers and an improved method of installation therefor.

I claim:

I. A water ski slalom course having turn buoys and guide buoy pairsfixed in a predetermined layout said guide buoys lying along acenterline along which a boat towing the water skier moves said turnbuoys being slalom gates for the skier said course comprising: an anchorline extending along the centerline of said course and fixed at bothends; a plurality of rigid cross arm means for spacing the two buoys ofeach pair of guide buoys from each other a sufficient distance to allowpassage of said boat each of said guide buoy pairs lying in apredetermined plane; a plurality of means for fixing said planesperpendicular to said anchor line; a plurality of beam means each havingone end rigidly affixed to said cross arm means and colinear therewithand the other end holding down one of said turn buoys said beam meanshaving a positive buoyancy and including negative buoyancy weightsaffixed to said beam means to submerge them in said water.

2. A water ski slalom course having turn buoys and guide buoy pairsfixed in a predetermined layout said guide buoys lying along acenterline along which a boat towing the water skier moves said turnbuoys being slalom gates for the skier said course comprising: an anchorline extending along the centerline of said course and fixed at bothends; a plurality of rigid cross arm means for spacing the two buoys ofeach pair of guide buoys from each other a sufficient distance to allowpassage of said boat each of said guide buoy pairs lying in apredetermined plane; a plurality of means for fixing said planesperpendicular to said anchor line, each of such means including adiamond-shaped cable arrangement coupling said anchor line to said crossarm means; a plurality of beam means each having one end rigidly affixedto said cross arm means and colinear therewith and the other end holdingdown one of said turning buoys.

3. A slalom course as in claim 1 where said course is anchored solely atsaid ends of said anchor line.

4. A slalom course as in claim 1 where substantially all of said guidebuoys arc cylindrical.

5. A slalom course as in claim 4 where said cylindri cal guide buoyshave a greater portion submerged in said water.

6. A slalom course as in claim 2 where said beam means have asubstantially neutral buoyancy.

7. A slalom course as in claim 6 where said beam means are constructedof Fiberglass.

8. A slalom course as in claim I where said beam means are constructedof wood.

9. A slalom course as in claim 1 where said beam means in combinationwith said weights. said cross arm means, said means for fixing saidplanes. and said anchor line have a negative buoyancy whereby suchcombination or a portion thereof will submerge further if any of saidbuoys is disconnected.

10. A slalom course as in claim 2 where said shaped cable arrangement isformed from short segments of wire connected at both ends of eachsegment at spaced locations on said .anchor line. such locationscorresponding to the spacing of said guide buoy pairs. and includesfastener means for spacing said short segments from said anchor line bysymmetrically clamping said anchor line and the midpoint of saidsegments to each of said cross arms.

ll. A slalom course as in claim 1 where said weights are affixed nearthe two ends of said beam means.

12. A method of installing a water ski slalom course having an anchorcable along the centerline of the course with guide buoy pairs affixedthereto and spaced from each other by cross arms and having turn buoysrespectively attached to said guide buoys by buoyant beams said methodcomprising the following steps: (a) hanging said guide buoys on saidcross arms; (b) attaching said cross arms to said anchor cable; (c)attaching said turn buoys to said beams; (d) providing two anchors atthe ends of the centerline of the course; (e) towing said cable withsaid cross arms and guide buoys and attaching said cable at each end tosaid anchors placing a high tension on said cable; (f) towing said beamsand respectively attaching them to said cross arms.

13. A method as in claim 12 where steps (a) and (b) are accomplished onshore.

14. A method as in claim 12 where said beams are weighted beforeattaching to said cross arms.

* l l l =l

1. A water ski slalom course having turn buoys and guide buoy pairsfixed in a predetermined layout said guide buoys lying along acenterline along which a boat towing the water skier moves said turnbuoys being slalom gates for the skier said course comprising: an anchorline extending along the centerline of said course and fixed at bothends; a plurality of rigid cross arm means for spacing the two buoys ofeach pair of guide buoys from each other a sufficient distance to allowpassage of said boat each of said guide buoy pairs lying in apredetermined plane; a plurality of means for fixing said planesperpendicular to said anchor line; a plurality of beam means each havingone end rigidly affixed to said cross arm means and colinear therewithand the other end holding down one of said turn buoys said beam meanshaving a positive buoyancy and including negative buoyancy weightsaffixed to said beam means to submerge them in said water.
 1. A waterski slalom course having turn buoys and guide buoy pairs fixed in apredetermined layout said guide buoys lying along a centerline alongwhich a boat towing the water skier moves said turn buoys being slalomgates for the skier said course comprising: an anchor line extendingalong the centerline of said course and fixed at both ends; a pluralityof rigid cross arm means for spacing the two buoys of each pair of guidebuoys from each other a sufficient distance to allow passage of saidboat each of said guide buoy pairs lying in a predetermined plane; aplurality of means for fixing said planes perpendicular to said anchorline; a plurality of beam means each having one end rigidly affixed tosaid cross arm means and colinear therewith and the other end holdingdown one of said turn buoys said beam means having a positive buoyancyand including negative buoyancy weights affixed to said beam means tosubmerge them in said water.
 2. A water ski slalom course having turnbuoys and guide buoy pairs fixed in a predetermined layout said guidebuoys lying along a centerline along which a boat towing the water skiermoves said turn buoys being slalom gates for the skier said coursecomprising: an anchor line extending along the centerline of said courseand fixed at both ends; a plurality of rigid cross arm means for spacingthe two buoys of each pair of guide buoys from each other a sufficientdistance to allow passage of said boat each of said guide buoy pairslying in a predetermined plane; a plurality of means for fixing saidplanes perpendicular to said anchor line, each of such means including adiamond-shaped cable arrangement coupling said anchor line to said crossarm means; a plurality of beam means each having one end rigidly affixedto said cross arm means and colinear therewith and the other end holdingdown one of said turning buoys.
 3. A slalom course as in claim 1 wheresaid course is anchored solely at said ends of said anchor line.
 4. Aslalom course as in claim 1 where substantially all of said guide buoysare cylindrical.
 5. A slalom course as in claim 4 where said cylindricalguide buoys have a greater portion submerged in said water.
 6. A slalomcourse as in claim 2 where said beam means have a substantially neutralbuoyancy.
 7. A slalom course as in claim 6 where said beam means areconstructed of Fiberglass.
 8. A slalom course as in claim 1 where saidbeam means are constructed of wood.
 9. A slalom course as in claim 1where said beam means in combination with said weights, said cross armmeans, said means for fixing said planes, and said anchor line have anegative buoyancy whereby such combination or a portion thereof willsubmerge further if any of said buoys is disconnected.
 10. A slalomcourse as in claim 2 where said shaped cable arrangement is formed fromshort segments of wire connected at both ends of each segment at spacedlocations on said anchor line, such locations corresponding to thespacing of said guide buoy pairs, and includes fastener means forspacing said short segments from said anchor line by symmetricallyclamping said anchor line and the midpoint of said segments to each ofsaid cross arms.
 11. A slalom course as in claim 1 where said weightsare affixed near the two ends of said beam means.
 12. A method ofinstalling a water ski slalOm course having an anchor cable along thecenterline of the course with guide buoy pairs affixed thereto andspaced from each other by cross arms and having turn buoys respectivelyattached to said guide buoys by buoyant beams said method comprising thefollowing steps: (a) hanging said guide buoys on said cross arms; (b)attaching said cross arms to said anchor cable; (c) attaching said turnbuoys to said beams; (d) providing two anchors at the ends of thecenterline of the course; (e) towing said cable with said cross arms andguide buoys and attaching said cable at each end to said anchors placinga high tension on said cable; (f) towing said beams and respectivelyattaching them to said cross arms.
 13. A method as in claim 12 wheresteps (a) and (b) are accomplished on shore.